Jeanne Thomson
Skowhegan, ME
1923
Skowhegan, ME
1923
A teacher and longtime resident of Skowhegan, Maine, Jeanne Thompson kept disciplined records of her travels, illustrated with photos, addresses, hotel letterheads and more. She also saved ribbons, clippings, signatures, church meeting minutes, obituaries, check receipts, stamps, invitations, theatre programs, drawings, nametags, poems, greeting cards, and song lyrics. Her compositions and simple and clear, unadorned, without frills yet curiously decorative — as in this two-page spread, in which rounded, torn corners help fill the page.
05.22.09 Comments (0) digg | del.ic.io.us | reddit
05.22.09 Comments (0) digg | del.ic.io.us | reddit
A New Book by Jessica HelfandComing this fall from Yale University Press
A gorgeous visual history of American scrapbooks and their evolution over two hundred years. 242 pages, 425 photographs printed in full color.
Combining pictures, words, and a wealth of personal ephemera, scrapbook makers preserve on the pages of their books a moment, a day, or a lifetime. Highly subjective, rich in emotional meaning, the scrapbook is a unique and often quirky form of expression in which a person gathers and arranges meaningful materias to create a personal narrative. This richly illustrated book is the first to focus close attention on the history of American scrapbooks—their origins, their makers, their diverse forms, the reasons for their popularity, and their place in American cultural life.
buy the book ->
The New York Times June 8, 2008
In this Op-Ed page SUMMERSCAPES, Jessica Helfand reflects on the fascinating "Stunt" Book kept by a young California debutante in the summer of 1920.
more news ->
came from a distinguished family in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She kept a detailed scrapbook of her adventures that profiles life in the south during the 1920s.
go to
lydia blanchard website ->